The Maraudian War
by Fabs G
Summary: COMPLETE! When someone threatens to steal the Marauder’s title of Pranksters Extraordinaire, what will they do to see that they keep it?
1. The beggining

Title: The Maraudian War   
Author: Fabs G.   
Rating: PG   
Summary: When someone threatens to steal the Marauder's title of pranksters extraordinaire, what will they do to see that they keep it?   
Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and she's doing a wonderful job with them. I just borrowed them for a small while.   
Pairing: None, but there's extremely vague hints of SBRL   
Author's note: Wow, it's been ages since I uploaded anything! Feels good to be back! Now, this story was written AGES ago, way before OOTP (so no spoilers) and left unfinished. I unearthed it some days ago and had great fun finishing it. The story will be seven chapters long, which have already been written, so wait for the next one soon. Have fun! Review!  
  
CHAPTER 1

"POTTER! BLACK!" boomed a voice inside the Gryffindor common room, so loud that it made some 1st and 2nd years jump from their seats. Professor McGonagall strode (actually, stomped) towards where two raven-haired heads (one with shorter and messier hair than the other) could be seen, their owner's noses buried in a large book.

James and Sirius jumped too at McGonagall's bellow, not because of the volume of it (they were quite accustomed to loud voices) but because it was their surnames she had screamed for everyone to hear.

The four marauders were with their four noses buried in books, two of them scratching their quills over parchments to get their homework done before bedtime. At McGonagall's entrance, Remus and Peter looked at each other and could not suppress their emerging smiles, wondering what on earth had their friends done this time.

James quickly shoved the book he had been reading to Remus, who hid it under a pile of schoolwork without McGonagall noticing. The book had the discouraging title of 'Fifty-seven golden rules to become an animagi and 101 reasons not to'

McGonagall towered over the fourteen-year-old dark haired boys, whose innocent expressions was, for once in life, completely honest.

"Kindly tell me what modification you did to the hex and I will not give you two weeks of detention, but only one" right to the point with no pleasantries in between, that was McGonagall for you. Her voice was not ear-splitting loud anymore, but it boomed on the common room anyway, mostly because everyone had stopped talking and making any noise to see what the boys had gotten themselves into this time.

"Whatever do you mean, professor?" asked James, who had the very useful gift of convincing his teachers of anything- whether he had done it or not.

Not that it always worked, of course. "You know very well what I mean." said McGonagall, trying to avoid saying completely meaningful phrases. "You have modified the hex somehow, and it will take a lot of less time getting… getting _her_ down if you just tell me. Now speak."

Mental images of a girl (most probably a Slytherin, they gathered) floating and bobbing up in some ceiling traveled the Gryffindors minds, and everyone hid their snickers.

"Professor, we honestly have no idea what you are talking about" said Sirius, whose charmingly innocent smile was completely and honestly true. "We've been studying" he said, waving a hand at the desk who was not collapsing from the weight of books and parchments only because a sixth-year had been kind enough to magically reinforce the desk for them.

"Studying, my foot" she said, and her voice took a dangerous tone that would have scared the first years. "You are facing two weeks of detention as it is, gentlemen"

Sirius and James now looked pleadingly at Remus and Peter. They knew very well how to play innocent when they had hex a Slytherin into serious psychological aftereffects, but they were completely clueless as to what being truly innocent was.

And everyone found that terribly funny. Everyone had started giggling, some softly, some not so, but they were giggling, all right.

Remus looked at Peter (who hadn't the nerve to speak to McGonagall when she was in such a mood, even if it was to save Sirius and James) and then spoke to his teacher. Full moon was the next Friday and his friends absolutely loathed to be in detention while they could be with Madam Pomfrey and him, as they did every month, accompanying him to the Whomping Willow. "Professor" he said in a small voice after he got the sudden image of McGonagall turning into her animagus form and attacking him viciously for interrupting her.

"Mr. Lupin" she said briskly.

"They actually have been here studying with us. For the last hour or so" he said in a firm voice.

"No offense Mr. Lupin, but you are a little biased towards this two" Remus's words, she wisely mused, tended to be true, so she turned around and faced the students. "Any witnesses?" she said a little gentler, lest she scared them into silence.

"They've been there since dinner" said Frank Longbottom, a fellow fourth year.

"The four of them?" she asked.

Frank, Lily Evans and Alice Rabnott nodded emphatically, as did several others. The marauders weren't very popular to their victims, but as they rarely hexed any Gryffindors, they were absolute celebrities to them. The least they could was stand up for them once.

"Very well." She said, a little defeated. "I'll tell Professor Flitwick to keep working on Mrs. Norris" she said, and she winced. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized her mistake: everyone now had the very appealing mental image of Mrs. Norris bobbing up a ceiling, with Filch fretting below (and, most likely, Peeves bothering her to death)

McGonagall left the common room, ignoring the roaring laughter of the Gryffindors.

The laughing continued for some good minutes, some students meowing every now and then to keep the laughter alive.

"Who did it, then?" asked Davy Gudgeon from across the room once the laughter had subsided "Or how did you manage to it?"

"My fellow Gryffindor," said James solemnly with a hand over his heart, as if he was mourning a beloved pet "as much as we would like to take claim over such worthy act, alas, we did not do it"

"I'd like to know who, though" said Sirius with a slight growl "that kind of thing is only worthy of us!" he said, lifting his index finger up in the air for emphasis. A few people clapped.

"Thanks for butting in, though" said James, looking at Remus and retrieving his book from under the stack of parchments.

"No problem" he said dismissively "I wonder who did it too, though. Charming her up a ceiling…" he laughed

"Yeah, it's you who are supposed to have the right to hex and prank anything what moves around here" said Peter, looking at his friends with a small smile.

"We, Peter, as in the four of us, _we_ have the right" emphasized Sirius, starting to devour the animagi book again "The fact that you two feel reluctant to let yourselves be seduced by the dangerous yet appealing land of Prankdom does not mean you are not entitled to" he said with a half smile.

James lifted his eyes from a page titled 'Thirty seven things that could go awful' "In fact, it would strengthen your reputations as marauders"

"Like I need the attention" said Remus gloomily but automatically, hiding a smirk behind years of self-control…

Mrs. Norris, looking like she was going to fly to outer space thanks to the charmed ceiling, ended up being on the Great Hall ceiling for exactly 37 hours, 24 minutes and 45 seconds (as ballparked by a dangerously mad Filch), and had proven to be quite the entertainment for a whole day. Students invented excuses for spending more time in the Great Hall. Every now and then she would meow loudly in hunger, thirst or plain anger at being so indecently exposed to everyone, and the students would take this opportunity to roar with laughter again. This was one of the only few things the Gryffindors and the Slytherins had ever agreed to laughing together, and all the teachers secretly cherished this moment.

The next transfiguration class had not been a pleasant one for the marauders. Or rather, for James and Sirius. McGonagall knew very well that she could count with the fingers of one hand, maybe two, how many students could modify such a hex as to get a living being up on a ceiling and not get her down until the spell wearied off. (Because, try as he might, Flitwick could not get her down) and of the students who could have done it, three quarters of them would never have done it. That left a Hufflepuff who had been ill at the time, Sirius, James and Remus. Remus wouldn't have done it either- _would he_, thought McGonagall?

_No, of course he wouldn't!_ she corrected herself, while she paced the corridors of her classroom and looked at how her student's assignments were coming along. Lupin was one who did not like the extra attention, she thought, and one with a good set of morals. But if the whole Gryffindor house backed them out in their alibi, them she should look somewhere else.

She passed besides the table where the four Gryffindors were sitting at and looked at their boxes, which were supposed to be turned into books. Sirius's box already looked made of paper and had words written on it, but was still too solid for a book and could not be opened. James's was nearly identical to Sirius, only the words missing, but had managed some sheets. Remus's box looked as though it had been sliced in a million parts (he had managed the sheets) and had words written all over but still was made of a very solid wood. McGonagall took one look at Peter's box, who had only managed to change its color, and moved along.

"She just shot daggers at me, didn't she?" whispered Sirius to Remus, who today was sitting between James and himself, his eyes never leaving his box.

"You've still got them stuck to your back. Still, if looks could kill, Sirius, right now the school would be attending _four_ funerals" he whispered back, smiling slightly.

"If I find the one who did, I'll kick his arse all the way to Hogsmeade" whispered James at no one in particular and at the same time talking to his friends.

Sirius frowned deeply "James, that was a bloody brilliant piece of magic, you're telling me you feel sorry for the feline?"

James lowered his wand and looked at Sirius as if he had grown another head "Of course not!" he looked as thought he had been insulted "We're supposed to be the masters of pranks here, it just bugs me that someone can be as good as us!"

James had forgotten that McGonagall was as sneaky and silent as a cat (with good reason) and when she cleared her throat, they realized she was standing right behind them.

After a while of silence and when they knew McGonagall was out of earshot, Remus said "So, according to you, no one else in school has the right to perform a prank"

"Bloody right!" said James and Sirius at the same time, as if their minds were in sync (which they probably were).

Remus only shook his head and went back to work on his box. He smiled a very big and self-contempt smile, but while his friends thought it was because he had managed to transfigure the texture of his box, the reason behind it was far from being it.

The true reason behind the smile was that he knew very well who the 'rebel prankster' was, and it felt hysterically good to know it and keep the information from his friends…  



	2. Communication

Title: The Maraudian War (2/7)  
  
Author: Fabs G.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: When someone threatens to steal the Marauder's title of pranksters extraordinaire, what will they do to see that they keep it?  
  
Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and she's doing a wonderful job with them. I just borrowed them for a small while.  
  
Pairing: None, but there's extremely vague hints of SBRL  
  
Author's note: Of course I'm going to finish this! Something his fun to write simply HAS to be uploaded!   
One thing: FF.net kinda screwed the sizing of the font. Sometimes its 10, sometimes it's 8. That's not my fault, but yet- sorry!  
One last thing: try as I might, I cannot make Peter as likeable as the other boys (three guesses why) so while I didn't make him a complete inept, he also won't be getting the 'Smartest Wizard Of The Year' award.   
Here's chapter 2, 5 to go. Have fun, R/R!  
  
CHAPTER 2

During the next days the 'Enemy', as the mysterious prankster had been subsequently dubbed by Sirius, did not show signs that the incident with Mrs. Norris had been just a one-time lucky-strike event.

During lunch on Monday, all the Slytherin goblets spilled their contents into their owner's faces, drenching with water, pumpkin juice and all sorts of liquids every single Slytherin in the school had been drinking. The three other houses laughed themselves silly, and even the ghosts and Dumbledore had a suspicious mirth in the air about them. Again, none of the Marauders had done it, and they had alibis for it.

On Tuesday afternoon the third Quidditch match of the season took place (Ravenclaws vs. Slytherins), and all students went to the Quidditch pitch to find a sight they would treasure for the rest of their days. While the Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw banners where in perfectly good condition and not touched at all, a look at the Slytherin stands was enough to know that _theirs_ were not.

At first, no one understood why the silver had been replaced with pink and the green with turquoise of all colours, but as Sirius wisely pointed out, with those colors "no house can be blamed". The Slytherins were so off-put by the shame of the pink and turquoise that they were absolutely destroyed by the Ravenclaws, much to the joy of the Gryffindors.

And again, there was no way the marauders could have done it. Once again and for the third time in their lives, Sirius and James were innocent.

On Wednesday The Enemy managed to put a spell on Peeves- and the fact that this had never happened before was barely less amazing than the fact that Peeves did not see who had turned all his clothing solid black (which he found dreadfully boring) and have covered his face with very reddish freckles and his head with a platinum blonde, curly-hired wig. Peeves found it indignant that the teachers did not pursue the 'criminal' as he called it, but all teachers were far too busy laughing to care about handling detentions to someone they didn't know. Filch was, of course, having the time of his life looking at Peeves. He looked almost as happy as he did when he caught a student out of bed after curfew.

It was this simple but admiration-worthy spell that made Sirius's and James's blood boil.

The Enemy had not only done pranks that Sirius and James had done before, or similar at least, and reached their level of admiration or fear from the other students, 'The _bloody_ Enemy', as Sirius now called him, had managed to _surpass them_. The whole school seemed to have forgotten about Sirius and James and were talking about The Enemy day and night (dubbing him the name Sirius called him permanently).

For three years they had tried to hex or curse or charm Peeves and get hailed as school masters for the rest of their days, but every try failed- much to their annoyance (and, very secretly, Filch's too).

"I am going to strangle him" growled Sirius, one late night (or early morning, depending on the person's metabolism) when the four of them where alone in the common room, studying as it was customary as of late, everything they could get their hands on about animagi.

Peter had long since fallen asleep over a book, drooling on the table by the fireplace. James and Sirius were sprawled besides each other, on one of the sofas in front of the fire, Remus sitting on the floor between them.

Remus really was not studying for animagi -for obvious reasons- but he felt better about the situation when he accompanied them.

Remus turned round and squinted at him. "You've been growling a lot lately" he said.

"How can I not, with that bloody menace walking around?!"

"No, I mean- have you given any thought to the possibility that your animagus form might be something canine. You are a dog person after all"

This thought enlightened Sirius's face as not many things had the past few days "How smashing would that be!" he positively glowed "You think a wolf?"

Remus's eyes turned a little darker "I hope not- it'd be too weird. Still, I can't say it wouldn't be interesting"

"I've been thinking the same, you know?" said James conversationally "What do you think I might be?"

"A bespectacled Quidditch-obsessed dork" deadpanned Sirius, eyes not leaving the book. James threw a cushion at him- Sirius ducked and the cushion hit Peter, who never even stirred. The three friends chuckled at this.

Remus stared at James for a long while (while James posed for him as if Remus was taking his headshot) "I don't know what species you might become, James" he said honestly "but it will definitely be something loyal" he ended with a smile.

James smiled back and threw him a cushion too, but with a more playful reason that Sirius's had been.

"I will bloody strangle him" said Sirius again, steering back the conversation to where he wanted it.

"And how, pray tell, will you do so when you don't know who he is?" said Remus with an eyebrow raised.

"I'll know sooner or later," he growled again "Nobody, hear me, _nobody_ steals our bloody monopoly over pranks. I'll make his life hell when I know who he is."

Remus didn't answer, and only swallowed very uncomfortably. Hearing the tone of Sirius's voice, anyone would have.

"You're right" said James, siding with his friend. "I'll find out who he is before Christmas holidays, I swear. This means _war_"

"Well, good luck to you both" said Remus, standing up for bedtime. "If he's a Slytherin, I'll wish you even more luck than this. If he's a Hufflepuff… were, that would surprise me. If he's a Ravenclaw, you'll probably be at war with a brain on legs."

"What's if he's a Gryffindor?" mumbled Peter from his spot (though no one was quite sure he was awake) and started making his way to the stairs.

Remus thought for a moment, Sirius and James's eyes fixed on him- he was, after all, the voice of reason of the group. He smiled "If he's a Gryffindor, I gather you'll be in for some good fun. Goodnight" He went upstairs, an arm round Peter's shoulders, who looked like he could tumble down the stairs at any second.

James and Sirius looked at each other and, a second later, broke into identical mischievous grins.

A week later, the Great Hall, the teachers, and the students were yet again witnesses to what happened when you challenged the marauders. The students, as every morning, entered the Great Hall drowsily, remembering with heartfelt nostalgia the warm cocoon of their beds they had just left, expecting with hunger the great food, and dreading with sincere fear the classes.

In the state they arrived, only the early birds noticed anything at all, and it was one early riser fifth year Hufflepuff that first noticed anything odd about the ceiling, even after a hundred students had poured in.

"I say, look!" he said, pointing at the enchanted ceiling.

Several heads, including the ones of the only two teachers that had arrived, turned skyward towards the enchanted ceiling (which today showed gloomy and dark storm clouds). Floating quite like Mrs. Norris had floated up there over a week ago, were golden letters with a red outline, spinning slowly for everybody to see, quite like a muggle fan would have done.

_Mysterious Prankster(s?), a.k.a. The Enemy (for us, anyway),_

_You have dared to challenge the Great Ones of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You have no right to step out of the shadows and think you have the right to do the noble acts we have been performing for the past three years._

_Stop now and you will be spared._

_Continue and you will suffer the consequences of messing with _**_The Marauders_**_._

Without_ best wishes,  
S, J, R & P_

The invitation to continue to prank couldn't have been more open.

Everybody knew at once that, should 'The Enemy' accept the not-so-subtly hidden challenge of 'S, J, R & P' the whole school, no matter the house, would be in for some good time fun. The buzz of voices that followed the silence during which everybody read the message was nearly deafening. Everybody started discussing whether The Enemy would accept the challenge, what would Potter & Black do (for it was obvious it had been them), and millions of other things that would keep them from paying attention in class for the following week.

Dumbledore looked at the message and merely grinned, though his eyes revealed much more of the mirth these little –hopefully harmless- school challenges brought him. McGonagall though, was not feeling any of his mirth. Her lips where quite thin after she read the message, and kept like this for the rest of the day. She'd deal with them eventually

When the marauders arrived at the Great Hall, the only of the four that were surprised to see the message were, of course, Remus and Peter. Though Sirius and James always included them in all of the 'noble acts of prankdom' they performed, Remus and Peter rarely dared to go out in the dead of the night, hex or charm something or someone and dare the wrath of Filch.

Sirius and James put and arm around Remus and Peter respectively.

"Want to have some fun?" they said to their friends. "You just wait- the bastard will have to answer that message, and _then_ the fun starts"

Remus read the message and could hardly keep himself from smirking as openly and widely as he wanted. The fish was in the net.

The next morning, the answer of 'The Enemy' (written in a neutral, house-free white) were four simple words:

_Let The Fun Start._

_To Be Continued….._


	3. Planning

Title: The Maraudian War (3/7)  
  
Author: Fabs G.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: When someone threatens to steal the Marauder's title of pranksters extraordinaire, what will they do to see that they keep it?  
  
Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and she's doing a wonderful job with them. I just borrowed them for a small while.  
  
Pairing: None, but there's extremely vague hints of SBRL  
  
Author's note: OK, so this chapter is shorter than I thought it would be. Don't worry, I'll make up for it tomorrow.  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
That very night, Remus and Peter were dragged (quite literally) from their chess match from their collars by a very determined James and a downright pissed off Sirius. "Upstairs" barked Sirius, increasing Remus's suspicion of his future canine animagi form. "Now" For a very awful moment Remus was quite afraid that-... well, that The Enemy had been discovered. James, pulling from Remus's collar, and Sirius, pulling from Peter's collar, stopped in front of the desk by the staircase. "Frank, you're a good chap, aren't you?" asked James Frank dropped his quill and looked at the four people before him "I'm scared" he said simply. Sirius rolled his eyes "You're a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake, you shouldn't be scared" Frank did not changed his face- nor his opinion "You just asked me if I was a good chap. You. I am scared. A Slytherin would be scared" James ignored this. "Not surprised. You're a good chap?" Frank decided to play their game, hoping it was a short one. "Alright. Yes, I guess I am" James nodded "Then stay out of the dormitory for the next hour or so, will you? Private meeting and believe me, you wouldn't want to go" Frank only knew too well the kind of private meeting the four of them could have (they usually ended in detentions) and as he was very glad to be just part of the audience in the Maraudian Battle (as it had been dubbed by some second years) he nodded his head, relieved "I'll take your word for it. Hour and a half." "Owe you one" said Sirius. Frank could not help it. He grinned widely "Just give us a good show" If Sirius and James had needed an incentive (which they didn't), that had been it. They broke into identical wide grins that threaten to split their skulls in half and dragged their friends up to the dormitory. James closed the door behind him while Sirius placed a not-so-long-ago learned silencing charm on it. Remus and Peter, sensing the kind of determination in their friends that could have scared McGonagall, huddled themselves cross-legged over Remus's bed, while James and Sirius sat on Frank's, which was right in front. "We have devised a plan," began Sirius. Remus and Peter looked at each other for the briefest of seconds and did not know if to grin, dread or run. James began pacing the room, with his hand behind his back- it reminded Remus of a muggle army general. "We have a serious situation in hands, gentlemen" "Are you going to give us a pep talk?" frowned Remus James and Sirius looked at him as nicely as McGonagall looked at them after particularly damaging prank. "As I said, we have a serious situation in hands" it was a sign of how bad things were that Sirius did not heed the chance to make that dreadful pun about his name and the word 'serious' "We will not succeed in overcoming this obstacle if we do not work together, if we do not have a pre-arranged plan of the things to do, the items to follow, the principles to stick to" "He reminds me of the minister" whispered Peter, and was promptly thrown a pillow by Sirius. Sirius then stood up (as James sat down again) and handed Remus and Peter two parchments each. Remus looked at him and could only marvel at how serious James and Sirius were taking this.  
  
Marauders' Principles and Rules  
  
For the Maraudian Battle against The Enemy  
  
1. The Enemy, whose name will revealed some time in the future, will be loathed until he surrenders in agony. 2. The Maraudian Battle will only be won when The Enemy crumbles to the ground in shame upon his recognition of our greatness 3. No lesser known pranksters, a.k.a. Remus and Peter, will be forced to perform hexes/pranks/charms/spells upon anyone should they desire to, but we strongly recommend that you perform at least one of these acts (or assist us in one) if you don't want to meet with our wrath. 4. As Gryffindors as we are, you will stay true to us. No helping The Enemy. Got it? 5. Have fun!  
  
Below this 'principles and rules' was what James and Sirius called a plan, but was actually a list of the things they could do. Among charming professors, cursing several parts of the building and whatever Slytherin was around, was included hexing Peeves and to 'make it bigger than The Enemy' The list, in all, had 37 items, one more inventive than the other. For Remus, it was like holding gold or maybe a very important scientific discovery. He bit his lips to refrain himself from smiling. They were handing his win right to him. "So, we have to do at least one of these?" asked Peter, his voice steady but it was evident the struggle he was making to keep it so. Bless you, Peter, thought Remus. He was trying to find a way to ask the same way and sound scared, but not exaggeratedly so. "Of course, we are not going to force anyone" began James "But if you call yourselves marauders, and as such our friends, then of course for your own pride, you'll at least assist us in at least one of those items down on your lists." Finished Sirius "Choose prank and marauder, if you please" said James solemnly. Remus and Peter looked at each other for the bazillion time that night and, also for the bazillion time that night, bit their lips so they wouldn't burst laughing. When Sirius and James looked at them nastily (they were taking this quite seriously) they looked down to their lists, consulting with each other. "You want to try the teachers' lounge one?" asked Remus conversationally. Peter opened his wide very wide. "Oh no. No, no. You take that one if you want." "Actually, I'm not overly eager to try that one myself." "The one with the Great Hall's ceiling sounds like a good one" Sirius and James looked at each other every now and then, rolling their eyes. "One where I'd like to see the effects, yes. One where I'd like to participate in, no thank you." "You're right on that one" said Peter "I think I'll stay with the one about the Quidditch Pitch" "James or Sirius?" asked Remus with a smirk in Sirius's way, both knowing fully well that Peter would choose James. "James, if you please" said Peter as if having James with him was a guarantee against detention. "That's settled then." Said James jumping from the bed. "So, Remmy, what will you do with Sirius?" Sirius and Remus looked at each other, frowned and snickered, and then looked at James again. James himself frowned and looked into space, weighing what he had said "I'll admit that the last phrase maybe subjected to a number of interpretations, but I'll leave it at that. So?" Remus looked down to his list. Charmed bathrooms, hexed corridors, cursed suit of armors, charmed lunch tables at the Great Hall, hexed robes at the teacher's lounge, hexed ceilings... "I think I'd like to try the hexed classrooms ceilings" "Nice choice!" smiled Sirius, jumping form the bed as James had done. "It was my idea, actually" he said proudly, puffing his chest.  
  
One hour later, when Frank decided it was as good time as any to see if his dormitory was free to use it as it should, he found that a nap in one of the common room sofas did not sound like such a bad idea after all.  
  
To Be Continued..... 


	4. The Fun

Title: The Maraudian War (4/7)  
  
Author: Fabs G.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: When someone threatens to steal the Marauder's title of pranksters extraordinaire, what will they do to see that they keep it?  
  
Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and she's doing a wonderful job with them. I just borrowed them for a small while.  
  
Pairing: None, but there's extremely vague hints of SBRL  
  
Author's note: Still a short chapter. Next one will be longer, really.  
Sorry about last chapter's format -up. It's FF.net's fault, really.  
  
CHAPTER 4

The next day, everyone in the school woke up expectant of the next prank. Though the Slytherins strutted around saying that they couldn't care less about the 'stupid Gryffindor war', often adding their hope of having 'the group of ridiculous four' ripped apart by the so-called war, the truth was that most of them too were expectant of the doings of both the Marauders and The Enemy. It was a secret wish of many how they hope The Enemy belonged to the Slytherin house just because he had brought to shame the group of Gryffindors, but as they would surely have publicized this in their common room (for the sheer pleasure of their peer's praising) they knew they could not hold much hope.

The Ravenclaws, of course, were interested in were both sides were getting their pranks from and how both The Enemy and the Marauders were managing daily (or rather, nightly) pranks that required time and not have their grades drop catastrophically. They answered this theory to themselves, saying that there were many students with equally catastrophic grades to be suspects.

The Hufflepuffs were not interested in techniques, or sides, but in just enjoying the gratuitous fun- and quite wisely so.

The Gryffindors were a case apart altogether. While their loyalty laid, of course, with the Marauders, they couldn't help but wish The Enemy were in their ranks too- most of The Enemy's pranks required a good deal of bravery.

As said, the whole school woke up every morning expectant of the next prank.

The next morning, students meandered into the Great Hall, looking up and down, right and left in search of the next prank. They knew it needn't necessarily happen in the Great hall, but as it was a room that literally everyone showed up in every morning, it was the best place for a prank to get noticed.

The Great Hall was as normal as ever. Even after the proud leaders of the Marauders entered to get Breakfast, the Great hall remained normal- clear blue sky, normal length tables, no charmed hairdos- nor hexed professors either. Everyone was thoroughly disappointed.

Sirius, James, Remus and Peter sat down to eat breakfast, Sirius and Remus looking a bit exhausted- for last night had been the turn of _their_ prank. James had purposely kept himself off classroom so his surprise –and faux innocence- would sound very sincere.

Charms with Professor Flitwick was in order first for the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws that morning. The four Marauders wolfed down their breakfast and hurried along to class- and as everyone else saw them, so did the rest of their house.

When they were approaching the classroom, they saw that a hoard of people was already stationed outside of it.

"What's going on?" asked Sirius innocently to a Hufflepuffs third year who should have been in Potions.

The Hufflepuff giggled himself silly before answering "Was that sarcasm or a real question?" he asked, still giggling.

"Real question" chorused James and Peter, who were as clueless as the rest of the school as to what was going on in there.

"Well, it seems that someone charmed the Charms ceiling to look like the sky outside: Flitwick's taking care of it" said the boy and then squeezed himself between to seventh years to get a better view.

James turned to Sirius and Remus "I'm disappointed" he said, a hand over his heart.

Sirius and Remus looked at each other, and then squeezed themselves to get to their class, which Flitwick had apparently fixed.

"What?" called James from behind them "What?"

Filing in behind them, James looked up and saw a clearing sky, dark storm clouds apparently disappearing behind the east corner of the classroom.

"Come on in, come on in" said Flitwick, slamming the door behind the last student to enter. "Could take the charm off completely, but at least the storm's cleared out, eh?" he laughed nervously.

He climbed over his usual stack of books and started class, which consisted of charming a small carved-stone lamb into moving around as if he were real.

Halfway through the class, after James had asked 'What?!' for the 100th time, and Sirius and Remus had exchanged about 200 knowing grins, the storm clouds returned.

Every single head turned skywards (or ceiling-wards) and watched the accumulating storm clouds with dread. Sirius smiled in smugness and rested his arm in Remus's shoulder.

Something heavy was dropped on a desk. Alice Rabnott bent down to the floor to get it.

"What is it, Alice?" asked her the girl sitting next to her.

"Its… ice" she said, holding a golf-ball sized ball of ice.

"Not ice…" said a Ravenclaw girl with a bit of dread in her voice and pointing to the still darkening ceiling. "Hail!"

As soon as this word (who had probably been the magical catalyst) was out of the girl's mouth, a sudden pelt of hail dropped on the student's head, and everyone made a run for the door- Flitwick, somehow, charmed himself and hovered over the student's head, out the door quicker than anyone.

The Marauders flew out the door with the equal swiftness as the rest, though more amusedly so. As soon as they were in the hallway, other students in other classrooms bolted from their own rooms, victims of the Marauders as well. From some classroom, heavy snow was piling in the doorway, other spitting gusts of hurricane winds, others had terrible rainstorms and others, like the Charms classroom, had a hailstorm. Down the hallway, near the potions classrooms, James thought he had seen a tornado emerge from one.

Sirius bellowed to James under the noise and hurry of the several storms. "You know, I was going for snow in all classrooms but Remmy here oh-so-cleverly suggested the diversity- never knew you had it in you, Rem!" he bellowed in the direction of Remus.

Remus wondered if the boy could find more nicknames for him "There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Sirius" he said as he kept running away from the flooding classrooms.

While physical mortification had been the aim of the Marauder's prank, as soon as the storm pranks had been cleared by the professors and, as established in a secret schedule by all Gryffindor members and passed on to other houses, The Enemy attacked again with the so-called 'Threshold attack, targeting mostly emotional mortification, and aimed according to year.

For the first years, often the shy ones, a disembodied voice all but screamed "Number 1 or Number 2?" every time someone crossed the threshold of the bathrooms.

For the second and third years, the classroom thresholds had been enchanted to reproduce the students voice every time they entered the classroom, screaming "I refuse to do my homework, professor"

The lightest prank had been for the fourth and fifth years, having remnant football-sized hail dropped from the classroom thresholds, while the sixth and seventh years had been victims of yet another voice-imitating threshold that screamed "I'm in love with Luros!" every time someone crossed it, referring to the sinister DADA teacher.

Sirius painfully discovered this as he was the first to enter the DADA classroom that day.

"I'm in love with Luros!" said Sirius's voice as soon as he entered.

"Why, Black, I didn't know you cared!" growled Luros to him, who had earlier claimed to be in love with himself.

Remus and Peter snickered not so quietly behind him, while James guffawed himself to death.

"Sit down you lot! Now! Black, don't even think of sitting with Potter- have had enough of you two" Sirius automatically went to Remus's side, and the light haired boy chanced a look at him.

Sirius was torn between deep shame at having been such an easy target and deep hatred for The Enemy.

"I'm getting my vengeance" said Sirius "and you're helping me, Rem"

Remus all but disappeared in his seat, nodding feebly, thinking of The Enemy's mortification- he had been targeting the Slytherins, not Sirius!

_To Be Continued….._


	5. Decision

Title: The Maraudian War (5/7)  
  
Author: Fabs G.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: When someone threatens to steal the Marauder's title of pranksters extraordinaire, what will they do to see that they keep it?  
  
Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and she's doing a wonderful job with them. I just borrowed them for a small while.  
  
Pairing: None, but there's extremely vague hints of SBRL  
  
Author's note: Finally, something long! Here's the promised longer chapter, and the next one will be even better!  
  
CHAPTER 5

A serious of increasingly furious pranks followed. Sirius' s vengeance, helped by a reluctant Remus, had almost the whole school singing for an entire day- common phrases, sentences and questions were sang in front of everyone- (some songs were downright sacrificed depending on the singing abilities of the person). Even Dumbledore, when he told McGonagall to pass him the salt at breakfast, sang the phrase for the entire school better than the most impressive muggle tenor would have, product many suspected of the benevolence of the Marauders.

Dumbledore laughed all day, McGonagall looked mortified in each of her classes and Luros looked murderous.

The Enemy voiced his opinion of the Singing Day by making everyone a mute for the day, and no teacher was able to lift the spell until the day was over. While throats thanked The Enemy for the rest, it soon became annoying to try and communicate something and either write it in the air for everyone to know or resort to primitive gesturing.

After two solid weeks of daily pranks which had the teachers in increasing bad moods, a new note appeared in the Great Hall ceiling.

The previous night, after a day where The Enemy had charmed _everyone in the school _ to have wind blowing from under them as if in a free fall, the Marauders had a late night meeting in the common room, considering just how long this was going to take.

"Not that I'm not having fun," said James, after a sneeze –half the school had a cold by now- but this isn't going to be fun during the exams."

"James, if you are suggesting what I think you're suggesting, I cease to be your friend" said Sirius very… seriously.

James threw a cushion a him "Of course I'm not giving up!"

"Oh, and we all had hope" came a feminine voice from the far side of the room. Lily Evans was making her way from the bathroom to the girls' dormitory, a comb taming her thick hair down with magic and another combing her hair by Lily's own hand. James's face lit up and Sirius, Remus and Peter, seeing this, snickered themselves silly. "While I'm glad that you don't particularly target our house, this _is_ getting annoying" James opened her mouth to reply but she was faster "Don't even try it Potter" she said, pointing the comb at her and making her way up the stairs. "Try not to destroy the school in the morning" she said as a way of good night.

"Lily's right" said Remus before anyone could say anything "Some of the students are getting tired."

"Yeah, you just tell me how to end this and still keep our pride, dignity and reputation and then we'll talk" sighed Sirius

"A duel" came Peter's small voice from besides Remus. "A duel could settle it… right? Because if he backs and says no, he'll be a coward"

"Peter, you are positively brilliant!" beamed Sirius.

James was practically glowing "Of course! He'll have to take us one by one, of course. If he defeats one of us, he fights with the next"

"Right, we don't want him telling we play dirty, the rot" growled Sirius, deepening Remus's suspects of Sirius's canine animagi form.

"How will you do that?" came Remus, ever the voice of reason.

"A note in the Great Hall" said Sirius, with the tone he would answer the most obvious of questions.

"Yes, I'm quite aware of that, thank you, what I mean is _how will you set the place and time_?"

A strangled silence followed as four brains battled with their knowledge to try to establish a way to tell The Enemy the time and place without having the whole faculty there to expel them.

"A riddle" came suddenly Sirius's voice.

"Right, and if half the student body solves it, we'll have an audience to rival the Quidditch matches"

"We're the brightest students in Gryffindor." Said Sirius smugly, puffing his chest "And if The Enemy has managed to perform such things, then he must be a darn good one too" he said, almost spitting the twisted compliment he managed to give The Enemy "We don't need magic, we need muggle logic"

"You're not muggle Sirius. Neither am I" said James.

"No, but we have a muggle-born" he pointed at Peter and next to Remus "and a wizard who thinks like a muggle here"

"Hey" complained Remus, mostly because that commentary was usually meant to be disdainful in Hogwarts.

Sirius winced only slightly and looked at him "I mean, you have logic. You're smart"

Remus couldn't help but smile secretly. "Thank you, then."

"So, it's settled- we'll tell him where we'll duel with a riddle" finished James

Sirius rubbed his hands eagerly "Gentlemen… start polishing your wa-" he stopped in mid-word so violently he left skid marks in the air, but it was no use- the other three were already sprawled along the couches, guffawing loudly.

As said before, the next morning, Hogwarts awoke to a new note on the ceiling.

_  
The Enemy,  
For the sake of Hogwarts itself, it's time this is settled-   
the dignified way, not yours.  
Meet us tomorrow for an old way of settling wrongs   
where the honorable stay temporarily and the gits end   
up there for the rest of time.  
The time?_

Next followed a four-inches long mathematical equation that, when solved, would give The Enemy the time he was supposed to be at the duel site.

_ Wishing you a violent end,  
S, J, R & P_  
PS: Anyone who solves this would do well to keep out- we're only looking out for   
you, don't say we didn't warn you.

Peter and Remus came up with the torture-length equation for the time of the duel, saying up until three a-m. calculating numbers. James and Sirius alternated between hovered above them wide eyed and dozing on the couch. Peter had been taught math for the first years of his life before coming to Hogwarts and Remus had Muggle Studies classes, a part of which was devoted to math.

When the students entered the Great Hall, there was a collective sigh at not knowing where the obvious duel was going to be, though someone worked out it was the Trophy Room and passed it on to the rest.

Most, though, stared wide eyed at the equation, which glared from the ceiling nastily, and it was that day's only topic of conversation- for once in history, Hogwarts students were trying to solve a mathematical equation! It was true that all wizard-born and most muggle-born found mathematics dreadfully boring, but if solving it meant witnessing the duel, then they were able to make the sacrifice.

Up in the teachers table, McGonagall was trying to convince Dumbledore to end this once and for all, but Dumbledore was too busy being proud of his students- the desperation of not being found by Filch or other students had them resorting to muggle methods and one of the most difficult muggle things to solve at that.

"Look at that!" beamed James "Even Dumbledore finds us brilliant! See the glimmer in the eyes?" he practically squeaked.

"Not so loud" moaned Remus as he flopped in his seat besides Sirius, holding his head.

Sirius winced in sympathy "Headache?"

"I have hippogriffs pounding the inside of my head" said Remus, pressing his temples with his thumbs. He pushed his plate of food away from him, too pained to eat.

"Makes two of us" said Peter, and sank in the seat besides James "I hadn't used that much math in years. Come to think of it, I _never_ used that much- not even when I had to pass it at school!"

"James, take care of Pete, will you?" said Sirius winking. James understood perfectly and only nodded. "Come here, you" said Sirius to Remus, and swung one leg over the bench, straddling it.

He motioned for Remus to do the same, took out his wand and pointed it at Remus' forehead.

"Wait you, oh impetuous one- what in Merlin's name are you going to do to me?" frowned Remus.

"Heal you. Now stay still. Close your eyes" he ordered, and Remus did as told.

Sirius pointed his wand at Remus's forehead, muttered something and Remus felt as if he had suddenly been wrapped in a warm cocoon, better than being snuggled in a hot bed with your honey in wint- well, almost better.

"Open your eyes" said Sirius.

Remus did, and he was amazed to find out his splitting headache was gone. "Wow, that felt good… What did you just do?"

James spoke next "Old family healing spell- taught Sirius once in Quidditch practice when he had a nasty fall and broke his two legs. Can't use it more than two or three times ever in a person or it'll backfire severely, that's why it's not popular. I often use it only once."

"When did you break your two legs?" frowned Remus, staring at Sirius. He looked down at Sirius's legs as if he hoped to find them terribly mangled and twisted.

"It was last year. It was-" he lowered his voice "during a full moon"

Remus nodded briefly, frown still in place "And you didn't think of telling me?"

Sirius smiled his typical Marauder smile, one that spoke of total innocence- whether he was or not "I forgot!"

"You forgot you broke your two legs?" asked Remus, incredulous.

Sirius's smile disappeared "James healed me a minute after it, the poor guy was going to have a stroke at the sight of me, what's all this about?"

Remus relaxed visibly, the frown disappeared "Sorry, it's just –" he swung his leg over the bench back to his breakfast and cast a brief glance to James and Peter, who were suspiciously quiet "We catch the minor cold and the other three already spent the entire day with the other in the infirmary room, it didn't seem right"

"Well I'm obviously fine" smiled Sirius lopsidedly.

A waft of red hair and green eyes run past "You're going to stay here much longer? We have potions!" said Lily

The marauders wolfed down their breakfast and set off after her, James trying to disregard the previous exchange between Sirius and Remus.

The rest of the day was spent half in classes and half practicing for the following day's duel. They knew that skipping classes would give the teachers part of the solid proof they needed to send the lot of them into detention (which as yet they hadn't managed, seeing as they needed solid proof and lacked that). They skipped lunch and dived into an empty classroom to practice with each other. The homework that was due the next day was done with the speed of lighting and James and Sirius helped Peter so he wouldn't hold them back.

The afternoon before the duel, as soon as the last class was over, they rushed to the Gryffindor tower, changed into muggle clothing and slipped their school robes over it and rushed back to the common room to practice, Remus and Peter albeit a little reluctant at wondering the school halls at 12.35 am.

Midnight tolled in the common room and the amount of students still lingering in the common room, most in pajamas, was impressive. Though some were yawning violently, they all wanted to see the Marauders depart.

James swiftly pocketed his invisibility cloak in his robes and motioned for his three friends to join him by the door.

Everyone was silent, even the prefects, who had secretly agreed not to provide detention or take points if no student was injured.

James and Sirius exchanged the most mischievous look they could muster.

"We shall return triumphant!" began James, his hands up in the air like a desperate politician. Sirius stood by him, proudly "Tonight the identity of Gryffindor's Enemy shall be revealed and, as soon as he is _vanquished_, peace shall return!"

There was loud clapping, and someone shouted "Go already!", which earned him a glare from all four.

Finally, they turned and left the common room. As soon as they were out, they slipped under James's cloak, so that no one would follow them.

They arrive to the Trophy room early enough, with fifteen minutes to spare. James and Sirius started dueling with each other, while Remus and Peter, the latter of which was a bundle of nerves, chose to rest by the 20th Century awards trophy case.

Soon enough, the fifteen minutes turned into half an hour, and the thirty minutes into forty-five.

"Sodding git's not coming" sentenced Sirius, after they had waited and hour and James had resorted to reading the inscriptions from _all_ trophies in the room, which were not few.

Remus, who had been pacing up and down waiting for The Enemy and smirking from time to time, plopped down on the floor besides him. "He chickened out" agreed Remus.

James, thoroughly deflated at not having a fight to release all his pent up energy, agreed "Yeah, let's go"

"Shouldn't we leave a note or something? If he comes he'll think _we_ didn't show up" pointed Peter.

"The equation did good to you, eh?" said Sirius to Peter

"Yeah, got my brain working and all" he beamed.

James directed his wand to the ceiling and scribbled the words '_The Enemy has been newly dubbed The Coward. You lose._' and left, the four of them still feeling like they had just been denied a good fight.

Well, three of them anyway.

_To Be Continued….._


	6. Him

Title: The Maraudian War (6/7)  
  
Author: Fabs G.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: When someone threatens to steal the Marauder's title of pranksters extraordinaire, what will they do to see that they keep it?  
  
Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and she's doing a wonderful job with them. I just borrowed them for a small while.  
  
Pairing: None, but there's extremely vague hints of SBRL  
  
Author's note 1: Not happy with the formatting. I promise, I'll play with html the next opportunity. For now, sorry about it.  
Author's note 2: Another long chapter. When I said I'd bring longer chapters, I wasn't kidding, uh? By the way, this chapter was SO much fun to write! Enjoy! (Only one chapter left)  
  
CHAPTER 6

The next morning was tragic for the Marauders. As soon as the first of the four (Peter) stepped into the Great Hall he run back to call the others. There was a _note_.

_S, J, R & P_

_I was in that room. The fact that you couldn't see me does not mean I was absent._

_Knowing the lot of you, right now you're thinking that I couldn't work out the where and when, so let me prove it to you. _

_S, you said I wasn't coming and called me a spoiled git. R, you had the nerve to call me a chicken. J, you agreed. P, you, as usual, stayed silent._

_Also, I have taken two small tokens of yours. Find it and you find me._

The Enemy 

You could almost see the bastard snickering and sticking his tongue out.

As soon as the Marauders read this, they sped back to the dormitory, nearly killing Frank on his way out of it.

"What's going on, guys?" he asked as they raced up the stairs.

"The bastard stole us!" bellowed James.

Frank, out of curiosity, followed them up, and was met with the sight of having the four boys threw every single one of their belongings up in the air as they rummaged their trunks.

After a good deal of flinging around, Sirius emitted a sound that was similar to an angry dog growling. "My keychain!" he bellowed

"What keychain?" asked Remus, head buried in his belongings.

"The one I nicked off my uncle's, the one he then gave to me" he said, jumping over the scattered stuff and sitting over Frank's trunk, besides him.

"The pirate one, with the jolly roger?" asked James, still rummaging his stuff

"Yes" growled Sirius, and Frank slid sideways on the trunk with fear at being so near him.

James trying to sound comforting "You'll get it back, mate, don't worI'LL KILL HIM!"

Sirius managed to smile at his friend, and Frank outright laughed. "What'd he nicked off you?"

"My grandfather's golden city key" he said through clenched teeth. "The one he was given as an honorary citizen" he was fuming.

Remus and Peter closed their trunks and sat on them, one of them relieved to know nothing had been stolen from him.

"So the bloke's got a key and a keychain?" asked Frank, who had been filled on the note by Peter. Everyone nodded . "Whatever did you take them to the duel for?"

James and Sirius opened their mouths to answer when something dawned on them.

They hadn't touched the keychain and key for months- they hadn't taken them to the duel. Which could only mean…

"He's a Gryffindor" growled Sirius.

All heads suddenly turned to Frank, who opened his eyes extremely wide "Me, The Enemy? With my underground notes in charms? I don't think so, I'd have been caught in day." he quickly defended himself.

Deflated mostly because they knew Frank's notes in charms had been catastrophic as of late, the Marauders resigned themselves to breakfast, hoping to discover The Enemy during the course of the day.

They were still musing and growling about it at lunch, James and Sirius poking their food from the rage at their lost belongings and glaring at the note in the ceiling every now and then, Peter and Remus wisely letting them sit together to grumble on their anger with each other.

"Just think about it" said Sirius, through still clenched teeth "The bastard is in _our_ table now. _Eating_ with us."

"_Laughing_ at us" provided James, which enraged Sirius even further.

Sirius stabbed a potato with his fork, twisted it around mashing it into an unrecognizable pulp. Remus looked at him sacrificing his potato –probably imagining it was The Enemy- and decided it was high time that The Enemy pulled his last pranks, the one that would reveal his identity.

He quivered with excitement and found it very hard to hide his grin.

"Alright" said James, dropping all pretense of eating and letting the silverware clank loudly on the plate. Remus shivered for only a second. "What's next?" he asked.

"The quills?" asked Peter, wondering about the next prank. Remus breathed.

"No, I want something bigger" said Sirius.

"The desks then" said Remus, paying attention to the book besides his plate and not to his friend.

"You're volunteering?" smirked Sirius.

Remus's head shot up "What? No! No… I was just saying"

Sirius smiled good-naturedly- the first in all morning "Ease down, Rem, I was just joking"

Remus breathed a sigh of relief, letting James and Sirius plot the when and how of the next prank.

But that night, when all four Marauders went to the first classroom to charm the teacher's desk and chair (into hovering on the ceiling and staying there until midnight), the Marauders found that their charms did not work.

"Why isn't it working?" said Sirius, practically poking McGonagall's desk with his wand when the time-activated charm did not stay.

"Maybe it's protected against spells" suggested Peter

"Wait" said James, and pushed Sirius out of the way. He pointed his wand at the desk "_Revelus incantatem!_" he said.

The desk rattled a bit, glowed green and then went back to normal. Sirius stuttered. The spell was designed to reveal what type of charms or spells an object had- red meant a curse or hex, violent a protection spell, green a simple charm.

"He-he… not a protection charm…" Sirius said, not able to produce a coherent sentence.

Peter looked curiously at Remus "Protection charm would have made it glow purplish. This one was green- it means a simple charm is in work- and because Sirius's charm did not work, it means that the same charm that Sirius was trying is the one on the desk. Any other charm would have worked fine" Said Remus, to Peter's right.

"Although the results would have been a bit garbled…He's already been here" said James, no one knowing if he had said it awed or mad.

"Let's try the other desks. It might have just been McGonagall's" said Sirius, rushing out the classroom and not even bothering to use James's cloak.

But when they got to the other classrooms, no matter the subject, they found the same unnerving results. The desks had already been charmed. All of them.

"Alright, let's not panic people. Let's go hex the brooms" said James.

"But James… it's nearly one in the morning!" whined Peter

"I'd rather have dignity than a good night's sleep. Come on!" he said, pulling the cloak over all four of them.

But when they arrived to the first –and the next, and the next- of the brooms cupboards, they found that the brooms had already been hexed.

As had the bathrooms.

As had the Slytherin's table at the Great Hall.

Before James could suggest another prank of their list, the list had all been checked by The Enemy, and Sirius called a late night meeting for the Marauders at the Gryffindor common room.

It was past 2.30 when they got to the common room, exhausted, and let themselves fall on the couches.

"I don't understand this! It's like he knows our steps!" said James, hands up in the air, reveling on the loneliness of the common room. Sirius slumped besides him, leaving Remus and Peter the couch right in front of them.

"I was really looking forwards to the charmed broomsticks" said Sirius pitifully

"And the teacher's desks" shot back James

"And the transfigured and charmed quills" piped in Peter.

"How can he get ahead if we haven't sh-" Sirius caught himself in mid-sentence and stared at Remus, James and Peter. He was going to end the sentence by saying 'if we haven't showed the list to anyone else but us' when the obvious dawned on him.

His friends looked at him, but he answered to no stimuli. Sirius first looked at James, pointing a finger and thinking hard. An expression crossed his face and then he looked at Peter. He pointed a finger at him too, and also looked like he was thinking hard. He shook his head and then looked at Remus (who was battling fiercely not to grin)

He pointed his finger at him. He thought… and he grinned. He thought some more, and some more…

"YOU BASTARD!" he bellowed at Remus, his mouth opened so wide a phoenix would have fit in nicely.

He sit up straight and kept looking and thinking. Remus's expression did not change, but Peter's and James did.

"Hey!" said Peter, inching slowly towards Remus- he hated when his friends insulted each other.

James sit up straight too, looking at Sirius disbelieving "Sirius, what on earth? That was uncalled for!"

"Oh it was very called for, I assure you." He said to James, yet still looking at Remus. "Did you enjoy it? Had fun?"

It was hard to discern all the emotions in Sirius's face, so Remus went for honesty. He grinned a very wide (and very mischievous-looking) grin. "Quite a lot, actually. It's been terribly fun" James and Peter looked at Remus now, very confused. He decided to finally reveal himself. "Specially hexing Peeves" his grin grew wider, although that didn't look physically possible.

"What?" asked Peter.

"You have _got_ to be joking!" said James.

"It was you? You're The Enemy?" said Peter, mouth hanging open like a fish in a fish store. He slumped on the sofa, disbelieving.

"Who else would get ahead of us in our pranks? Who else would have dared stole something from our trunks? Who else has skyrocketing marks in charms?" said Sirius

Remus's grin was becoming contagious. "What can I say, I can be stealthy when I want to… though hopefully, I'll be able to remain a friend…" Remus crossed his legs over the sofa Indian style, and took two things out of the pockets of his jeans: James's golden key and Sirius's pirate keychain. "It turns out that I wasn't over at the library earlier today but placing time-activated charms on several items around Hogwarts"

Sirius got up "Oh I am going to strangle you!" he said, yet everyone could see the beginnings of a smile at the corners of his mouth.

In a swift movement, Remus stood up on sofa, got hold of its back, swung his legs over Peter's head and was soon standing behind it, still facing Sirius.

Sirius stopped dead in his pace. "How the fuck did you do that?" he said amazed.

Remus merely pointed at himself "Werewolf deftness" he said, and for once grinned with such self esteem it was contagious.

Sirius, nonetheless, continued his attempts at werewolf hunt "I don't care. Come here!" he said, running around the sofa and nearly killing himself with a hidden coffee table "You've any idea the two weeks you've made me tolerate?!"

"I know- I laughed myself silly every morning!" said Remus, deftly jumping over a desk that was next to a wall, towering over Sirius.

Sirius made a grab for one of Remus's ankles, but as it was one of the biggest desks, failed. He climbed on top of it, quite athletic but not so much as Remus.

James and Peter got up from the sofa and went to the desk Remus and Sirius were standing on. Both of the boys had their eyes opened very widely.

Sirius and Remus were now doing some kind of odd dance, where Sirius tried to grab Remus but Remus kept ducking him. Finally, to avoid a very nasty fall, Remus let himself be caught by the dark haired boy, pinning his uppers arms against the wall.

James and Peter moved nearer to the desk, unconsciously guarding a possible fall. They were still staring at the still smiling Remus. "You did the best we had on our list- single-handedly!" said James in awe.

Sirius seemed to have reached the point that had been bugging him since he realized who The Enemy was. "You. Hexed. Peeves." He said slowly, as if there was some trick to it. "Not to mention the teacher's desks and the bathrooms during the day! " He broke into the widest grin "I knew there was a reason why I liked you"

Remus frowned, but the smile never left his face. If anything, it became bigger.

"As a fellow marauder and a friend, of course" added Sirius quite quickly, letting Remus go.

James muttered a 'Riiight…', Peter frowned, and Remus smiled gleefully in a way that was clear it had nothing to do with his pranks.

For the first time in his life, Sirius Black blushed beetroot red. It was quite the odd, unfamiliar feeling. He jumped off the desk and shoved his hands in his jean pockets. His face was still a mixture of embarrassment and delightful glee.

Remus sank down and sat at the edge of the desk, legs dangling happily off the edge. "I've got a question"

"We have a million" said James deadpanned.

Remus smirked "Those can wait" he said "My questions is, what will The Marauders do now that they know who The Enemy is?"

Sirius, James and Peter looked at each other- evidently, the rush of adrenaline had not let them think about this.

Sirius and James looked at each other, the same thought in their heads. "Blame Snape?" they said with grins that could have easily suited a five-year-old that had just gotten a new toy for Christmas.

Remus shook his head, wounded "I'm not going to let the git get the credit of all I did, detention be damned!"

Sirius smiled proudly at Remus and was about to say 'that's my boy' when he thought better of it and stayed silent.

"Well, if we say we know who The Enemy is, McGonagall would probably make us spill the name out" said Peter matter-of-factly. Everyone nodded.

"Well, then" said James, leaning on the desk besides Remus "How about an anonymous cooperation between the Marauders and The Enemy?"

"Am I to understand that I no longer belong to the Marauders?" asked Remus, knowing they wouldn't do that, but at the same time fearing they would.

"Heavens, yes you do" said Sirius, and passed an arm over Remus's shoulders. "…but just for this small while, you won't." he said, and smiled a mischievous smile his friend knew all to well.

Remus looked at Sirius' dangerously close face and frowned "What are you planning?"

Sirius merely smiled- but the smile would have easily scared first and second years…

* * *

_To Be Concluded… Don't miss the last prank__!___


	7. Collaboration

Title: The Maraudian War (7/7)  
  
Author: Fabs G.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: When someone threatens to steal the Marauder's title of pranksters extraordinaire, what will they do to see that they keep it?  
  
Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and she's doing a wonderful job with them. I just borrowed them for a small while.  
  
Pairing: None, but there's extremely vague hints of SBRL  
  
Author's note: Ahh, the end at last! Hope you all enjoyed, thanks to all who reviewed! Also, I am in the middle of a mammoth-sized fic that is an alternate ending to OotP- taking from THAT event in the novel. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it.  
  
CHAPTER 7

It had been now a week without word from either The Enemy or The Marauders. People tried to pry something from the four boys, but not one of them said anything beyond 'none of your business'. James and Sirius sniggered and looked proud every time someone asked them, Peter usually clamped a hand over his mouth and Remus had turned harder to pry for information than he had initially been credited for.

People were disappointed. They wanted a resolution, a closure. All the Marauders had to give them was a smile and the word 'patience'.

Regina Locowst, Ravenclaw third year, wondered where everyone was one Wednesday morning as she walked to the Great Hall. She checked a magic grandfather clock at the end of one hallway and whistled- no wonder no one was around, she was probably the first to wake up! Not that she was _that_ surprised, she was usually the first of her house to wake up every morning, but usually other houses beat her to the Great Hall.

_Congratulations for the newly set record, Regina_, she congratulated herself.

She climbed down a set of stairs, went up another, held on to a third one as it changed direction with her on it, walked down two hallways and turned left towards the hallway that led her directly to the Great Hall. Her eyes opened very wide.

Well over her head, words were scribbled in the air, very much like the notes in the Great Hall ceiling, burning red, golden and gray:

**The Maraudian War is over.**  
This Maraudian War goodbye 'gift' courtesy of an anonymous  
cooperation between The Marauders and The Enemy (who  
really isn't that much of an enemy anymore)

Regina looked down the hallway. A six-step high staircase shot out from the floor where yesterday no staircase had existed. Regina place one foot tentatively over the first step.

Nothing happened.

She tried the other foot with the same results. Slowly, and very carefully, she climbed up the six steps. A small landing crowned the small staircase. Regina stepped on it, fearful of what her eyes would see.

She swallowed.

The landing ended abruptly. The only way to go back down to floor level on the other side was to climb down a rope. Beyond it, a small pond had grown from Merlin-knows-where, and the only way to go across it was to walk over a narrow plank of wood. Obstacles to be climbed on laid beyond, as did more ropes to climb up, as did small harmless animals to be charmed and, through some incredible deal, Peeves to be dealt with at the end of the hallway. Merlin only knew what the Marauders and The Enemy had made to have Peeves agreed to do it and -supposedly- not spill their names.

Regina climbed down the steps, thinking it better to wait for someone of her own house to be there before going in there.

An hour later the students (and a couple of stray teachers) had worked out several things: All hallways leading to the Great Hall entrance doors had been 'obstacled', all of them being a copy of each other. Wands did not work in this hallway except in the spots you were supposed to use them. If you either tripped, fell, or failed to charm something as you were supposed to, you went back to the start automatically. Even teachers were forced to do the Obstacle Hallway. Also, no student was immune to the it. Even Sirius, James, Remus and Peter (the latter of them had to restart twice) had to sort it all out, including dealing with Peeves at the end. (Though, suspiciously, Peeves dropped less amount of water, ink bottles or dungbombs over them than over the rest of the students)

The Marauders, of course, were expecting the wrath of the teachers and even of Dumbledore himself but, out of the blue, the teachers who hadn't _had_ to go through the Hallways beamed at them.

"Alright, this is getting on my nerves" said Sirius as McGonagall smiled at them for the third time after a student entered the Great Hall, triumphant of having gone through the obstacles.

"What?" asked James, his mouth full of toast.

"McGonagall. She's smiling at us. Again."

"You know, Sirius-" started Remus "She's not the only one" said Remus, glancing at the teacher's table.

Flitwick was downright glowing, Dumbledore had his twinkle in his eyes and Luros, while he wasn't smiling (no one knew for certain if he could) he certainly looked less gloomy than usual.

"I think I know why" said Remus.

James looked at him, and eyebrow raised. "You don't think…" he said, with very faint beginnings of a smile

"_They_ certainly can't do it. Not legally." He cast another look at the teacher's table, where Dumbledore and McGonagall were talking amiably "And most of us are having fun going through the hallways"

Peter's head bounced between the two of them, trying to understand, as if watching a tennis match,

"Except for the Peeves bit" said James offhandedly.

Sirius cleared his throat. James and Remus looked at him "Would you mind sharing your telepathic conversation?"

"You do know that telepathy implies no talking, Sirius, don't you?" smirked Remus.

"I don't care. Share it anyway." He growled.

Remus and James exchanged a smile "The Hallways are testing the students from all houses in charms, physical skills, hand-eye coordination, reflexes..." said Remus

"It's the ultimate test of abilities, as you well said last night." Interjected James

"The teachers can't do something like that inside the school, involving potential dangers for the students. It would be illegal to do it without the ministry's consent"

"In other words, we saved them the work" simplified Sirius.

The others nodded.

"So, what you're saying" began Peter "is that Sirius actually thought of something that _helped_ the teachers?"

Sirius, recognizing that Peter was right, paled. James and Remus guffawed loudly.

Later that day, on their way to their last class of the day -divination-, James, Remus, Sirius and Peter were stopped by an unique voice.

"A word?" said Dumbledore's voice from behind them.

All four stopped dead in their places, inertia not budging them an inch. They turned around at the same time.

Dumbledore had his hands in his pockets, his long beard, for once, slung over his shoulder. His eyes were twinkling…

"We're late for class" squeaked Peter.

"Not to worry, I had a word or two with your teacher and it won't take long." He smiled "Can we have a short walk?"

They nodded, walked to where he was and started walking down a hallway away from the Divination classroom at an identical pace.

"Impressive, really" said Dumbledore, looking at the paintings along the hallway. "It'd have taken a month or two for me to take the proposal up to Bagnold and have her approve. Saved me quite a lot of work."

The fear was beginning to leave- very slowly.

"So, no detention?" asked James.

Dumbledore actually laughed "No, no detention- I'm appointing teachers at the beginning of each hallway, to keep an eye on the students. If by the end of the day no one is injured, no detention will be issued. Might I enquire who had the initial idea for the… whatever you called it?"

"Maraudian Obstacle Hallway" provided James.

Sirius raised a hand as if in class, already smiling smugly.

"Aahh.. of course. Young Mr. Black. Should have recognized your handiwork." Commented Dumbledore.

"Thank you, sir" he said, as if Dumbledore had just given him the Order of Merlin.

"Deflate, Sirius" said Remus "Or _I'm_ going to be the one to puncture your ego"

Sirius cleared his throat, clearly thrown off "Yes, well… I had help"

Dumbledore stopped and faced them. "Speaking of which… one last word."

Remus's dread suddenly came back. Had he crossed the line? They had been just harmless pranks. No one had been hurt. Had he betrayed Dumbledore's confidence by actually doing something he had wanted to and had needed to work up the nerve for over a year?

"I do not want you to think that I approve of what you do. I do not." He wasn't completely serious- the twinkle remained- but all four knew he was not joking "However, I realize I cannot stop you- nor do I want you, for you need some sort of distraction. In your case, it's this. I am condoning _this_ prank because it has actually turned useful- rather unexpectedly to you I believe- to have students and teachers brush up on their field techniques. It is not the same to charm an angry Crup in a classroom under controlled circumstances than when running for your life in the field. Still, be _very_ careful with your actions." He said pointedly.

All four nodded solemnly, taking in his words.

"And last, but not least… I do hope this is the last we'll see of The Enemy…" he said, raising up and eyebrow at a blushing Remus "… yet not of the Marauders." He turned around to go, leaving them free to go to class.

All four saw him go, and get lost in the darkness. When he was gone, they broke into four identical slightly mystified grins. They felt odd- as though they had just been punished with sweet wordsy while being imparted a lesson. Sirius grinned wider, passed an arm round Remus's shoulders, and turned themselves round to go to class, James and Peter closely behind.


End file.
